I constantly advise people to join this network using LinkedIn.

Here are some usful tips from Guy Kawasaki (Author of the excellent book The Art of the Start)

1. Increase your visibility.

By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 52,000 product managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends know and trust.

2. Improve your connectability.

Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include past companies, education, affiliations, and activities.

You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as an attachment.

3. Improve your Google PageRank.

LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you.

To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various places on the web> For example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in your signature.

4. Enhance your search engine results.

In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected categories like “My Website,” “My Company,” etc.

If you select “Other” you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link, and voila! instant search-engine optimization for your site. To make this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to “Full View.”

5. Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks.

LinkedIn’s reference check tool to input a company name and the years the person worked at the company to search for references. Your search will find the people who worked at the company during the same time period. Since references provided by a candidate will generally be glowing, this is a good way to get more balanced data.

Companies will typically check your references before hiring you, but have you ever thought of checking your prospective manager’s references? Most interviewees don’t have the audacity to ask a potential boss for references, but with LinkedIn you have a way to scope her out.

You can also check up on the company itself by finding the person who used to have the job that you’re interviewing for. Do this by searching for job title and company, but be sure to uncheck “Current titles only.” By contacting people who used to hold the position, you can get the inside scoop on the job, manager and growth potential.

By the way, if using LinkedIn in these ways becomes a common practice, we’re apt to see more truthful resumes. There’s nothing more amusing than to find out that the candidate who claims to have caused some huge success was a total bozo who was just along for the ride.

6. Increase the relevancy of your job search.

Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a programmer would use search keywords such as “Ruby on Rails,” “C++,” “Python,” “Java,” and “evangelist” to find out where other programmers with these skills work.

7. Make your interview go smoother.

You can use LinkedIn to find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing that you went to the same school, plays hockey, or shares acquaintances is a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank you.”

8. Gauge the health of a company.

Perform an advanced search for company name and uncheck the “Current Companies Only” box. This will enable you to scrutinize the rate of turnover and whether key people are abandoning ship. Former employees usually give more candid opinions about a company’s prospects than someone who’s still on board.

9. Gauge the health of an industry.

If you’re thinking of investing or working in a sector, use LinkedIn to find people who worked for competitors—or even better, companies who failed. For example, suppose you wanted to build a next generation online pet store, you’d probably learn a lot from speaking with former Pets.com or WebVan employees.

10. Track startups.

You can see people in your network who are initiating new startups by doing an advanced search for a range of keywords such as “stealth” or “new startup.” Apply the “Sort By” filter to “Degrees away from you” in order to see the people closest to you first.

11. Ask for advice.

LinkedIn’s newest product, LinkedIn Answers, aims to enable this online. The product allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. The premise is that you will get more high-value responses from the people in your network than more open forums.

For example, here are some questions an entrepreneur might ask when the associates of a venture capital firm come up blank:

* Who’s a good, fast, and cheap patent lawyer?
* What should we pay a vp of biz dev?
* Is going to Demo worth it?
* How much traffic does a TechCrunch plug generate?

Leitrim County Enterprise Board is pleased to announce that website grants are now available at a maximum level of 50% subject to a maximum level of €1,000. The grant covers web design, hosting and other related costs. These grants are subject to budget availability and are not available all year round however we are now accepting applications. Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday August 22nd 2008. For eligibilty criteria and an application form please contact the office on t: 071-9620450, email: info (@) leitrimenterprise.ie.

Today on the Tuesday Push, it is the turn of Pix.ie.

Pixie is a popular photo sharing site based in Ireland. Launched in August 2007, Pixie has registered users from over 120 countries and is currently storing millions of images on their behalf. Pixie’s free service which includes an upload quota of 500MB/month, is used by both professional and amateur photographers, families, friends, students, charities and photo bloggers, i.e. everyone!

Thanks Damien.

Via Damien, 1time is featured on his Tuesday Push.

1time is a web-based time and expense tracking application that allows you to easily keep track of real time project costs. It reduces non-billable time in your company and keeps everyone up to date. Each employee gets their own login and reminders so you don’t have to micro-manage recording timesheets. It is ideally suited to anyone who has a need to record time for billing or project cost analysis.

Damien invites you to fill in this form if you would like your company mentioned in the Tuesday Push

It’s a Mans World

Gerard Anthony is a name everyone in the county is familiar with, a name many of us have grown up with. With 21 years of trading under their belt, having recently completed a massive expansion plan and moved into a brand new premises that is seven times larger than the original store Gerard Anthony and their new wing aimed at younger clientele GA2 are a model of business dynamism and success in an uncertain time.

Gerard Fitzgerald is not one to shy away from change or progress. Every month he hires a mystery shopper to basically ‘spy’ on the business and report back on everything from service to stock and display. In addition he is entering the business in retail competitions such as the FBD Retail Excellence Ireland Awards as it keeps the business on its toes and motivates ever increasing standards. When it comes to stock Gerard knows what the customer wants and works to balance this with what the brands want which is to be stocked with brands of a similar standard. ‘Right now we have everyone we want brand wise and our electronic point of sale allows us to monitor the popularity of the various brands/items. You have to continually ask questions of yourself and your choices for example is a brand selling because of the brand or because of placement in the store. All these things keep us on top of our game as Ireland’s largest menswear only store.’

Considering all of this it perhaps comes as no surprise that Gerard Anthony’s decided to apply for the innovative Tech-Check programme from Leitrim County Enterprise Board. The aim of the programme is to help owner managers of small businesses to take a fresh look at how they can use technology to improve their productivity and gain a competitive edge. Gerard says the programme appealed to him as they were right on the verge of their expansion at the time and hoping to triple the business so he was keen to learn about ways they could do tasks more efficiently and embrace technology that would streamline the day to day functions.
The independent expert advisor assigned to Gerard Anthony came out on site for just one day. She assessed the current technology use identifying key issues, strengths and weaknesses relating to their existing use of technology and using this analysis she outlined a clear, action orientated and realistic plan for developing and implementing ICT skills, systems, hardware and software with the aim of delivering real and sustainable competitive advantage.

Gerard found the programme excellent and is quick to recommend it to other companies. ‘It’s simple and obvious in many ways but often these things need pointing out. We had an idea we were on the right track but Tech Check helped us with a load of issues and the expert made sure we were on the right track for now and into the future.’

In 21 years Gerard has seen a lot of changes in the way that men shop! ‘Tastes have changed, the men are getting more discerning and it’s not always the women shopping for them!’ says Gerard. ‘Years ago men bought clothes based on need but now they will simply treat themselves so that’s a big change.’ Gerard says that men want a different experience from shopping than women, ‘the men want to be dressed well and they want access to brands but they want an easy and quick experience so the clothes need to be clearly and well displayed. Gerard Anthony’s and the new GA2 that caters for the younger set are trying to create a shopping experience where people are confident of getting access to the widest selection, value and help – if they want it, plus parking! The car park at their new store is a major asset that makes a trip to the store completely hassle free.

So what does the future hold for Gerard Anthony’s and GA2? ‘The plan or vision is to continually increase standards and the portfolio of brands. We will give the current expansion 2 years to consolidate and then look to expand again. In the meantime we will continue to work to get things right. We are still charged with the enthusiasm and adrenaline from opening the new store. We know we have a ‘wow’ factor shop and a unique business. There is nothing around that can compete with us.’

Gerard Anthony and GA2 are based at Mulveys Centre, Boyle Rd, Carrick on Shannon. They cater for men and boys from the age of six and also for Communion, Confirmation and Wedding Hire. In addition they offer a full tailor service.

For more information on the Tech-Check programme and how to apply contact Leitrim County Enterprise Board on 071 9620450.

Tech-Check is an exciting new programme, designed to assist small businesses identify ways to boost productivity and profitability through better use of technology.
Available through Leitrim County Enterprise Board, Tech-Check consists of one full day’s mentoring with an independent expert, who together with yourself will look at your existing technology and identify opportunities for improving the technology in your business.

Tech-Check is available to all business in County Leitrim with less than 50 employees so it enables us to expand the scope of our support.

If you would like further information or an application form please contact Nicola Mc Manus on 071 9620450 or email info[@]leitrimenterprise.ie

……all your digital stuff. Putplace lets you “secure, organize and share your digital life”.

I use it and I really like it.  I wish it was around when a laptop turned against me in 2001 and an external hard-drive in 2004. Be warned. Use this service and start today.

From Damien

This is the first of the companies to be covered on The Tuesday Push. PutPlace, as their blurb states does this: “secure, organize and share your digital life”. Think about all the media that you have all over the place: On cameras, iPods, memory cards, portable drives, that old battered laptop you’ve kept as there are some docs on it that you might use someday…

So imagine all of that data was nuked/wiped/drowned. Well PutPlace allows you firstly to see what you have, then sort it, then back it up. Then if you want to push that stuff to another place, you can do that.

That PutPlace feeling is knowing all those digital bits and bobs are sorted. I do like the case studies part of the site. PutPlace is currently in Beta so it’s free to use. They recently opened up to public beta so are looking for testers. So you’ll get 2 gigs of unlimited space (during beta) to back up all your digital pieces and they’ll be backed up in a sensible way, not you just mass uploading stuff from folders.

Please consider trying out and reviewing PutPlace or talk it up on your blog.

From Mary Dolan | info[@]carrickonshannon.ie | carrickonshannon.ie |

The Chamber’s help has been sought for this fascinating social history project in which you may have an interest (as an individual or as a company). The idea is to record as much social history as possible before it is lost.

The filmmakers are looking for at least one individual (preferably a grandmother, but all considered) from each of the 32 Counties who has an anecdotal story to tell about life in Ireland 50-60-70+ years ago. They are also looking for financial backers OR people/companies which can provide/underwrite in-kind assistance such as accommodation, transportation, supplies, etc., to the production company in return for PR opportunities.

If you know of a great storyteller who has lived through the many changes that have occurred in Ireland, perhaps you will determine whether she/he is interested in participating in the project.

Follow the link below to read more about this project, which starts filming on Monday next, 30th June. You can reply directly to Shane Dempsey at the contact numbers below.

www.fragmentstheatre.com/news

Via Niall – here are 50 things everyone should know.